


I'm Sick Of Being Your Secret

by Guardian_Rose



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguments, Canon Era, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-22 14:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8288282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_Rose/pseuds/Guardian_Rose
Summary: Set in Canon Era. Arthur is king and not married to Gwen.“I’m sick of being your secret, Arthur!” Merlin shouted.That was it. That was the heart of all of their relationship issues in six words. Arthur looked like he’d been stabbed in the gut; his face twisted with anger and exhaustion at the fact that they were arguing yet again.They had been...doing whatever this was for a year now. It had taken an argument to start their whole relationship and Arthur remembered every part of it.





	

“I’m sick of being your secret, Arthur!” Merlin shouted.

 

That was it. That was the heart of all of their relationship issues in six words. Arthur looked like he’d been stabbed in the gut; his face twisted with anger and exhaustion at the fact that they were arguing yet again.

 

They had been...doing whatever this was for a year now. It had taken an argument to start their whole relationship and Arthur remembered every part of it. Every word and insult thrown until they were standing exactly where they were now and one of them had finally voiced the very core of the issue.

 

\-------

 

_ “You’re the king now! You can change Camelot for the better! Of all people, you should know what good magic can do!” Merlin argued, face flushed with frustration.  _

 

_ They had been yelling at other in circles for hours now. It was five months into Arthur’s reign after his father died. _

 

_ “The people will reject anything to do with bringing magic back! It isn’t that easy to just remove a law, Merlin!” Arthur shouted back. He was standing not two metres away from the black haired man. _

 

_ “I’m not suggesting you just abolish an entire law! Just...edit it, magic needs regulating just like weapons. It isn’t the magic itself that is evil, it’s the people using it!”  _

 

_ Arthur raked his hand through his hair. _

 

_ “I know it’s not! You are the perfect example of that, Merlin! I would do anything for you but I can’t just- I can’t put you in danger when those who still reject all magic find out about you!” Arthur looked Merlin dead in the eye. Neither spoke for a minute. An agonisingly long time. _

 

_ “You know. You knew? How long?” _

 

_ “Since Lancelot and the Griffin. But that’s not the point-” _

 

_ “You knew. You kept it a secret, even from me. You want to  _ protect _ me?” _

 

_ “Yes, Merlin. I do. Is that such a difficult-” Arthur shut up when Merlin kissed him, it took him a couple of seconds to grasp that yes he was finally being kissed by the one person he wanted but he responded eagerly enough when his brain caught up.  _

 

_ They stopped arguing after that and the eventual realisation that they had been pining idiots for years. _

 

_ \------- _

 

Now here they were in the throne room again, Arthur in all his kingly clothes and Merlin in his normal outfit, neckerchief included. They’d found that the piece of cloth was very useful for hiding any hickeys from their nights spent together. 

 

They were a hair's breadth apart and Arthur longed to reach out but Merlin had once again made him speechless and rendered him frozen.

 

“Then what do you want to do?” Arthur whispered. Merlin wasn’t going to break things off, it wasn’t possible. Not even a potential outcome. Was it?

 

“No, no, no.  _ Arthur _ , don’t- don’t look like that. I’m not….I’m not really angry with  _ you _ , it’s not your fault. Please don’t look at me like that.” Merlin babbled, there were tears in the corners of his eyes and he placed his hands on either side of the blond’s face, forcing their eyes to meet.

 

“Like what?” Arthur asked, he flinched at his own bitterness.

 

“Like I’m going to walk away from you. I’m not. I’m here for good, you clotpole. Through every stupid thing you do, I’ll be by your side.” Merlin gave him a watery smile and Arthur wiped the few tears away that had fallen from the Warlock’s cheeks.

 

“Damn right, you are.” 

 

“It’s not going to stop me from being bitter about this though, that I have to hide the fact that I love you.”

 

“What if you didn’t have to? Why can’t I change things? I did it with the magic ban. It worked then, it would work now.”

 

Merlin sighed wistfully and Arthur narrowed his eyes and covered Merlin’s hands with his own.

 

“I mean it, Merlin. We could do it. You could be the-the…what is it called?”

 

“King’s Consort?” Merlin supplied helpfully, a proper smile tugging at his lips.

 

“Yes! That! We could get married, Merlin. If you wanted to that is-” 

 

Merlin kissed him to shut him up and Arthur just rolled his eyes before closing them. So typical.

 

“Of course I want to. Yes, Arthur. I’ll marry you.” The warlock said when they broke for air.

 

This time Arthur initiated the kiss. Arguments seemed to work for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3
> 
> Any and all comments welcome! Prompts especially!


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